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*Confronting The Leaven of Legalism*
*April 4, 2004*
 
*Introduction:*
 
As we present this drama to introduce the message this morning, use your imagination a bit as we transform this stage into a dentist’s office and this chair into the dental chair of Dr. James, the soul-winning dentist in, The Making of Another Legalist.
/Drama: “James, the Soul-Winning Dentist” by Tom and Steven Szontagh/
 
Let’s give Tom and Steven a round of applause for their excellent and humorous enactment of Dr. James, the soul-winning dentist and his patient convert, Greg.
We found this drama sadly humorous because it portrays the harsh reality that many of us have experienced in our spiritual lives.
Some of us have probably struggled with some sort of point system in our faith for years, or some point system that someone has pressed on us, or wanted to make us believe.
Like Greg, we were converted, taught by, and served with, people in the Christian faith who were misguided and misinformed about the real truth of Christianity, and it has been passed on through the years to our own detriment and the detriment of the church.
*(Illus.: Goebli monkeys, Chgo.
Trib., 4~/4~/04)*
 
We call it “legalism.”
It has been an anchor around the neck of true Christian spirituality ever since the New Testament was written.
Tom located a pretty good definition of legalism:
 
/Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.
In other words, a legalist is anyone who behaves as if they can earn God’s approval and forgiveness through personal performance.
Thomas Schreiner writes that “legalism has its origin in self-worship.”
If people are justified through their obedience to the law, then they merit praise, honor, and glory.
Legalism, in other words, means the glory goes to people rather than God./
/Are you starting to see what a serious problem this is?
Though we might never state any of its underlying assumptions in plain English, the implications of legalism are staggering in their arrogance.
Legalism claims that the death of Jesus on the cross was either unnecessary or insufficient.
It essentially says to God, “Your plan didn’t work.
The cross wasn’t enough and I need to add my good works to it to be saved.”/
/Of course, no Christian would dare utter such terrible words.
But when we shift our concentration away from the Gospel, legalism slowly and subtly twists our thinking until our lives themselves make this awful statement.
Our lives then speak more plainly than words./
A more concise definition by Rich Miller, co-author with Neil Anderson on a book entitled, Breaking the Bondage of Legalism: When Trying Harder Isn’t Enough puts it this way:
 
/          The legalist is afraid not to be in control, afraid to be in a [real] relationship with God, because God would then be in control./
Paul had some pointed words to say about legalism.
He said that Christ came to set us free from the curse of legalism (law).
“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."
Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."
The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."”
(Galatians 3:10-13 NIVUS)
 
Now Paul didn’t just say these words on his own.
He took his teaching straight from Jesus, and you know that Jesus had a lot to say about the law and the teachers of the law – and not much of it in a positive light.
“Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”
(Luke 11:46 NIVUS)
 
 “"Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge.
You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."”
(Luke 11:52 NIVUS)
 
Jesus didn’t just leave it there either.
He also said he had come to set us free.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.
How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
(John 8:31-36 NIVUS)
 
So what was Jesus’ teaching that would set us free?
It was grace.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John testifies concerning him.
He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’"
From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
(John 1:14-17 NIVUS)
 
 
How could John Baptist say that Jesus surpassed him?
It was because grace surpasses the law.
It is grace that fulfills the law.
“"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
(Matthew 5:17 NIVUS)
 
Jesus always seemed to buck the rules in favor of grace and that is why he always seemed to get into so much trouble with the establishment.
“So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?"” (Mark 7:5 NIVUS)
 
 “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?"”
(Luke 5:30 NIVUS)
 
 “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.
Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"” (Luke 6:1-2 NIVUS)
 
 “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.”
(Luke 6:7 NIVUS)
 
 “In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.
Now what do you say?"” (John 8:5 NIVUS)
 
So ‘establishment religion’ is a curse from which Christ came to set us free by dying on the cross.
Indeed, it was establishment religion and its stranglehold on the people that put him to death on the cross.
It didn’t look that way at first, when Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday a week beforehand, when the people shouted his praises and waved the palm branches.
“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"” (John 12:13 NIVUS)
 
“They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" “"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"” (Luke 19:38 NIVUS)
 
 “Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!"” (Mark 11:9-10 NIVUS)
 
 “The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"” (Matthew 21:9 NIVUS)
 
Just who was this crowd who praised him?
Luke 19:37 says it was the crowd of disciples.
However, Matthew 21:8-9 and Mark 11:8 are generic in the description of the crowd.
John 12:12 called them the great crowd that came for the Feast.
No doubt then, the crowd consisted of disciples as well as the common people who had great expectations of this One who claimed to be the Messiah, and so they cheered him on.
But then Jesus began to rationally and systematically confront the establishment.
He went on a “Passover” search for the leaven [sin] of legalism among the people (like was explained to us in the demonstration Seder meal last Sunday).
He knew the spiritual freedom he was coming to offer them and what their rejection of it would cost them (and himself) because he knew that, as a people, they would not repent of their legalistic beliefs and expectations.
This caused him to weep.
But confront them, he must.
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace— but now it is hidden from your eyes.
The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.
They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you."” (Luke 19:41-44 NIVUS)
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