Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

First church - twenty-one years old.

No experience - pastor no experience either.

Went from a traditional church to contemporary in a week.

Not a good idea.

Nothing wrong with traditions in our Christian faith.

Traditions can be very helpful.

They can take us back to moments in our journey with God that were meaningful, where we experienced life transformation.

What are your traditions?

Answer… It feels like church when… I feel Christian when…

Traditions can be helpful.

Traditions can be good.

Difference between traditions and traditionalism.

Traditionalism = An adherence to traditions rather than to Christ.

Traidtionalism says, “You can’t be a Christian unless you uphold these man-made traditions, rituals, etc.”

Traditions can be helpful.

Traditions can be good.

Difference between traditions and traditionalism.

Traditionalism = An adherence to traditions rather than to Christ.

Traidtionalism says, “You can’t be a Christian unless you uphold these man-made traditions, rituals, etc.”

Looking at three stories this morning where Jesus goes toe to toe with the Pharisees.

Pharisees = a highly influential religious sect that had been around for about 200 years.

Approx.

6,000 pharisees - 1% of the population - had great influence on the common people.

Sadducees = aristocrats.

Scribes = intellectual elite.

Pharisees = Ordinary men with a commitment to the Torah - so much that they developed “the tradition of the elders.”

- rituals, laws, and practices in addition to the Laws that God had given Moses to aid you in keeping God’s law.

And, they imposed these traditions on others.

Some time after Jesus’ ministry, the oral traditions were written down - this written collection of the tradition of the elders is called the mishnah.

In Mark’s Gospel, we discover that Jesus has come to shatter traditionalism and show us that tradition doesn’t trump faith; rather faith trumps tradition.

Maybe you have some traditions.

Or, maybe you have a tendency to gravitate toward traditionalism.

Let me show you three dangers of allowing traditions to trump faith.

You can’t experience the new when you’re stuck in the old.

You’re probably aware that

Pharisees suspicious - Jesus doesn’t seem as serious about the things of God as they are - His followers are having too much fun.

Pharisees suspicious - Jesus doesn’t seem as serious about the things of God as they are.

Pharisees demonstrated devotion to God through fasting (abstaining from food as a sign of mourning or dependency on God).

Fasted 2x a week from sun up to sundown.

OT didn’t require weekly fasts - only one fast on the Day of Atonement.

() However, people voluntarily fasted in the OT - often after natural disaster, time of difficulty (war), or simply a voluntary fast for personal matters.

Pharisees tradition was 2x a week as a way of demonstrating piety.

To be a good Jew, you fasted.

Self-righteousness at its finest.

“I deserve a place in heaven because of my righteousness.”

John’s disciples fasting - John pointed them to Jesus, but they remained stuck in old ways.

Why don’t Jesus’ disciples fast?

This is a time for celebration; not fasting.

Disciples would fast later - (when Christ no longer physically present) - but not now.

The King is here!

It’s time to celebrate.

Like a wedding celebration: you don’t fast at a wedding!

You eat lots of cake!

Two worlds colliding - The religious way - a way of traditions and rituals - In order to be right with God you must… Jesus’ way… You can’t be right with God! That’s why I’m here!

Celebrate!

I’m going to do for you what you can’t do for yourself!

(Hudson wanting to help Luke in a game… Jesus came to play the game for you, not help you play…)

Traditionalism and faith don’t go together!

Two illustrations: if you put new, unshrunk on an old garment, it will tear off the old garment as it shrinks.

If you put new wine into old, worn out wineskins, they will burst!

You need a new wineskins to hold the new wine!

The old and new don’t mix!

The old says, “In order to be right with God, I must...” The new says, “I can’t… I need Jesus...” The two don’t mix!

Lasting joy is in the new, not the old.

If you’re always saying, “I must…” you’ll be miserable and always wondering if you’re doing enough.

If you say, “I can’t...” you’ll find the joy of trusting Christ who has already done.

You can’t experience the new when you’re stuck in the old.

We gravitate to checklists - read my Bible, go to church, pray, give, etc.

That may be the fruit of a new life, but it’s not how you get new life.

Jesus has checked off everything on the list for you.

- read my Bible, go to church, pray, give, etc.

That may be the fruit of a new life, but it’s not how you get new life.

Jesus has checked off everything on the list for you.

We gravitate to rules -

You can’t experience rest when you’re always working.

You can’t embrace the new when you’re stuck in the old - and the Pharisees were stuck…

Jesus and his disciples plucking heads of grain as they walked through grainfields.

According to the OT Law, field owners were to leave the corners of their fields unharvested, so that the poor could come along and freely harvest from the corners.

So, Jesus’ isn’t stealing someone’s grain, but He is harvesting on the Sabbath.

Significance of Sabbath in Judaism - Sundown on Friday to Sundown on Sat. - remembering God’s rest.

The scribes classified 39 different kinds of work you couldn’t do on the Sabbath, and grain picking was one of them!

(Other sabbath laws - how far you could walk, don’t tear - you’d need to prepare your toilet paper on Friday, can’t make two loops - wear velcro tennis shoes, no extinguishing a fire, no kindling a fire (can’t turn on a light switch), don’t carry a load, sabbath elevator, etc.) It’s crushing!

Supposed to be a day of rest, but it ends up being a day of work as you work to remember what you can’t do!

Jesus asks, “Do you remember David?” - on the run from King Saul - had been anointed the future king by Samuel - comes to the priest in the tabernacle - he’s hungry, and he has men who are hungry.

All the priest has is bread that was put on the table of showbread - this was sacred bread that symbolized God’s desire to fellowship with His people.

But only the priests were allowed to eat it.

Priest gives it to David.

Jesus is the one from the lineage of David - the greater King.

What’s his point?

People matter more than man-made rules and traditions.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

God designed the Sabbath for our benefit - to show us we need rest.

Ultimately, the Sabbath points us to Jesus - the One who provides real rest by forgiving us for our sins and bringing us into a relationship with the Father.

But more than resting in Christ and enjoying intimacy with Him, we like to define Christianity by checklists, rules, and traditions:

Checklists - In order for God to accept me, I must read the Bible every day, pray every day, give, serve in the nursery, etc.

I must do… Good things - fruit of a changed life, but not how you find favor in the eyes of God.

Jesus has completed the checklist for you.

You are accepted by God because of what He’s done.

Checklists - (Tell me what I must do) In order for God to accept me, I must read the Bible every day, pray every day, give, serve in the nursery, etc.