Now, you turn in your Bible again
to Mark chapter 7. Mark chapter 7. One of the blessings
that God has given to us in His Word, and when we preach the
Gospel and minister to God's people from the Word of God,
as we proceed through the Scripture, as we teach through each book
and each chapter and each verse, We come across everything that
we need to be taught. Every aspect of the believer's
life is covered in, thus saith the Lord. And that's one reason
that we try to go through the Bible in a very analytical way,
verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, rather than just
picking a verse here and picking a verse over there. Nothing wrong
with doing that upon occasion, Sometimes we pick certain things
and we camp on certain things and neglect other things. But
as we go through the Word of God as a whole, everything we
need to be taught is covered in God's Word. Now, the title
of our message today is, Brain Worship or Heart Worship? Lip Worship or Heart Worship? Taken from verse 6 and 7 of Mark
chapter 7. This people honoreth me with
their lips, but their heart, oh, their heart, their heart,
God said that far, far from me. You see, God doesn't look on
the outward countenance. That's how we look. He looks
on the heart. He knows our heart. How be it in vain, he said, they
do worship me. Vain worship. Teaching for doctrine
the commandments of men Rather than the word and truth of God
now in our study today And in the message today, we see the
Lord Jesus Christ exposing This is what he's doing. He's exposing
These Pharisees for what they are. He calls them plainly. He
says you're a bunch of actors. You're a bunch of hypocrites
I know you, he says. He exposes their false, free
will, self-righteous, works religion for what it is, condemning the
souls of those that preach it and those that embrace that lie. These defiled and guilty Pharisees
somehow thought God Almighty, God who is holy, God who is sovereign,
was pleased or satisfied with the outward show of religious
flesh. The mere washing of hands, the
tradition of man-made religion, they somehow thought that that
impressed God. just goes to show you how totally
depraved sinners are. They're ignorant of God and they're
ignorant of their own heart. Four times in this chapter, the
Lord calls their religion what it is. Notice in verse 7, He
says, you teach for doctrine the commandments of men. Verse
8, laying aside the Word of God, the commandment of God, you hold
to the tradition of men. In verse 9 he says, you reject
the commandment of God and you keep your own tradition. Now
there's a pattern being established there, isn't there? Look at verse
13, you make the Word of God of none effect by your tradition. There is a sharp contrast. between
tradition of men and the gospel of God, between the works of
the flesh and salvation by the free and sovereign grace of God,
is there not a contrast? Although the Pharisees are dead
and gone, these men are dead and gone. They are under the
eternal wrath and condemnation of God Almighty. Although the
Pharisees are dead and gone, their religion is alive and well. and thrives in the hearts of
wicked men who are going about to establish their own righteousness
by the deeds of the law. Now why do sinners do such a
thing? Why would any person with any common sense try to please
God Almighty by the washing of hands, by the religious ceremony
and tradition of men? I'll give you two reasons. Number
one, they're ignorant of God. They're ignorant of God. They
have no idea. Find Romans chapter 10. They
have no idea. They have no idea who God is. Romans chapter 10. They're ignorant of God. These
very scribes, doctors of the law, and these very moral and
self-righteous Pharisees. Ignorant of God. That's what
Paul said here. Romans 10, look at verse 1, Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel, that is, those
religious Jews, that they might be saved. He said they're lost.
Well, I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but not according
to knowledge, the ignorance of God. For they being ignorant
of God's Righteousness. Ignorance of the character of
God. Therefore they are going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
that is of God. What is that righteousness that
is of God? That is the gospel. That is the
righteousness that David wrote about, that blessed is the man
to whom the Lord would impute righteousness without deeds,
without works. For Christ is the end of the
law. They have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness
of God. For Christ is the end of the law. He's the end of hand
washing. For righteousness to everyone
that believes Him that rests in Christ. Now, our Lord turned
to Luke 16. Luke 16, 15. Our Lord warns us
about this self-righteous piety. this self-righteous religiosity
of men. Your goody goodies, that which
is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight
of God. You see, He exposes them for
what they are. Our Lord said in Matthew 16,
Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Beware of the leaven of their
doctrine. A little leaven leavens a whole
lump. a little bit of work in the scheme
of salvation, and you've got a corrupted scheme of salvation.
Now some, some of you, I trust not, but some may think, well,
grace preachers are too hard, they're too harsh, you're too
critical, Pastor Tom, you're too critical, you're too hard
on false prophets, you're too hard on false religion. Is the Lord Jesus Christ being
too harsh? Would you accuse Him? Is the Lord Jesus Christ being
too harsh on the Pharisees when He said to them in Matthew 23,
you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation
of hell? Is He being too harsh? Or when
the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 6, verse 44, No man can
come to Me except the Father which sent Me. Draw him, and
I'll raise him up at the last day. Is He being too harsh? I
don't think so. Do you know what He's being?
Truthful. If you love somebody, you tell
them the truth. Is the Lord Jesus being too hard
when He says in John 14, verse 6, No man comes to the Father
but by and through Me. Well, I thought we all had our
way to God. We're all going to end up at the same place, just
going to take different roads. No, our Lord said, No man comes
to God but by me, by my merit, by my righteousness, by my sacrifice,
none. Neither is there salvation in
any other. There is no other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. Would you accuse the Apostle
Paul of being too harsh? Too hard? Too critical on the
Pharisee religion when he said in 1 Corinthians 16, 22, If any
man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be damned. Or when the Lord Jesus Christ
said, He that believeth not on me, the wrath of God abides on
him. I'm simply, as God's servant,
trying to warn you of the danger involved in believing you can
earn your salvation. Or thinking that those who lean
on their works, their false deeds, are saved, justified by their
deeds. Not at all. I'm simply trying
to warn you of the danger involved in work salvation, thinking you
can accomplish salvation by what you do. I'm warning you. It was too hard. I'm not even harder than what
the Word of God declared. Turn to Galatians chapter 5.
How vital is this warning? How vital is it? Galatians chapter
5 says this in verse 1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again
with the yoke of bondage, hand washing, ceremony, Your church
doing? Behold I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised in order to obtain God's favor,
washing of the hands, your morality, you think that recommends you
to God? Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised, he is a debtor to do the whole
law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you. Whosoever of you are justified
by what you do, you departed from the grace of God. I'm trying to warn you. Now let
me give you this illustration to drive this home. Would I be your true friend if
I heard someone was plotting to rob you and to do you harm? Suppose I heard that someone
through the grapevine was going to come over to your house at
a certain time of day and to rob you and to misuse and abuse
your family. And I knew that that was going
to happen. If I remained silent and didn't warn you, what kind
of a friend would I be? Now you know I'd be a traitor
to your soul and to your family. But if I just said, well, all
is well, you wouldn't count me as a friend,
would you? But thank God, if I warned you, and you were sitting
at the front door with your loaded gun, and when that bird came
through the door, you would think, I'm glad the old brother warned
me. Even so, I cannot remain silent
and not declare the truth of the gospel when such great things
are at stake. The glory of God is at stake.
Your soul is at stake. when the gospel of God is being
denied by so many people in our day, and to remain silent when
the gospel is under attack is to be a traitor against God and
an enemy to your soul. I cannot be silent, my friend.
If I speak simply to please men, I am not God's servant. Mark it down. Don't ever hear
me again. Though we are an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached,
let him be damned." God hedges believers about with
two things. Blessed, precious promises, lest
we despair. Now I preach those glorious promises
of God. I preach those glorious promises
of God. Salvation to sinners in Christ
Jesus. exceeding great and blessed promises
we have in God. In Him all the promises of God
are yes, and in Him, and amen. There is a promise of forgiveness
and pardon of sin. I declare those precious promises
of God. But I also must warn you, God
hedges His people not with two things, the blessed promises
of God, lest we despair, But He also hedges us about with
warnings, lest we presume. Lest we presume, lest we think
we're right, and the way we're going is right, when in reality,
it's all wrong. Turn over here to Matthew 7,
verse 13. Now, Scripture's full of warnings, warnings, warnings. Promises, oh yes, full of warnings
too. Matthew 7 verse 13. Enter ye
at the straight gate, wide is the gate, broad is the way that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
Because straight is the gate, narrow is the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few, few there be that find it. Now look at
verse 15. Beware of false prophets. Beware
of false prophets. How do we know? Look what he
says, "...which come unto you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
the ravening wolves, they have not the glory of God in their
heart. You shall know them by their
fruits." He's talking about false prophets now. "...you shall know
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles, Even so, every good tree brings forth
good fruit. That's God's true servant. The
true servant in the true gospel brings forth fruit unto God.
But a corrupt tree, a corrupt message, bringeth forth death,
evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
False preaching never produced one convert, not one. Every tree that bringeth forth
not fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Do you want to
follow that crowd? I don't. Wherefore you shall
know them by their fruits. Not everyone that says unto me,
Lord, Lord, is going to enter into the kingdom of God. Now back to Mark 7. What a humbling
picture is given to us here in Mark chapter 7. We see man-made
religion without Christ. Hand-washing. They were so careful
to wash their cups, their pots, their tables, their brazen vessels. Left off the weightier matters
of law and mercy and faith and judgment. Strain at a gnat, swallow a camel. Those well-trained doctors, religious
educated men, really thought God was impressed by the washing
of everything before they sat down to eat. and there are countless
multitude just like them in our day. This is the natural religion
of follow man, clean up the outside, get a good moral life and God
will bless you. Nothing's further from the truth.
I cut my teeth on works religion. Morality, outward doing is nothing
but sin. All men by their wicked fallen
nature gravitate to this Pharisee religion. They gravitate to this
false way of salvation. The wise man Solomon put it this
way, there is a way that would seemeth right unto man, clean
up the outside, but the end thereof is a way
of death. Death, destruction, don't go
that way. Now here's a critical question,
critical question for us this morning. I want you to consider
this yourself, personally. Is my salvation of me, by me,
by my works, by my performance? Am I trusting something I've
done, or doing, or will do? Or, is my salvation totally dependent
upon the Lord Jesus Christ? His performance, His doing, His
dying, Him alone, His grace, His mercy, His love, His faithfulness,
which is it? totally on Him or on you. What does the Scripture teach?
That's what we need to know. What does the Scripture have
to say about the way of salvation? I'm not at all concerned what
the tradition of religious men may say. Well, I thought that's
a big problem. All our thinking left to ourselves
is totally contrary to God's Word. I thought. God said, you thought I was altogether
such a one as like you are. God's not like us. What does
the scripture teach? What does God say about the sinner's
salvation? Well, I can give you many scriptures,
but at least these two, not by works of righteousness which
we have done. Is that pretty clear? not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." It's
not this way, it's this way. It's God who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, given us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Now, that was my introduction.
Here's two points. Number one is this. Tradition of religion and the
religious tradition of men exposed by the Lord Jesus Christ. The
first thing our Lord does in defense of the gospel is to give
them the scripture instead of tradition. Notice what he says
in verse 6 of Mark 7, Well, hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites? It is written, This people honoured
me with their lips, but their hearts far from me. How be it
in vain? Do they worship me teaching for doctrines and commandments
of men? Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition
of men and the washing of pots and cups and many such things,
like things ye do. He breaks their wooden weapon of tradition and exposes their
hypocrisy, the strong man of their hypocrisy with the sword
of the Spirit, he breaks their tradition by using, thus saith
the Lord. Hebrews 4 says this, The word
of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing of thunder, soul and spirit,
and a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.
The Word of God must be our only weapon against error. God's Word
against the tradition of religion. Our Lord said in Matthew 22,
29, He said this to the Pharisees, You do err not knowing the Scriptures
nor the power of God. That's our problem. Ignorant
of God, ignorant of the power of God. The only weapon, the
Word of God must be the only weapon against error, against
the traditions of men. I give you these scriptures,
2 Corinthians 10, 4. For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war after the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds,
casting down imagination and every high thing that exalted
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ. The weapons of our
warfare are not carnal. They're not fleshly. They're
not the inventions of men. They're mighty through God to
the pulling down of stronghands. What is the tradition of religious
men compared with the commandment of God Almighty? Nothing. Nothing. What is the tradition
of an elder compared with the truth of God? Nothing. Jeremiah 23 says this, Is not
my word like a fire, saith the Lord, like a hammer that breaks
the rock in pieces? Let's hammer away with the Word,
the Word of God, the Word of Truth. We must worship God, we
must worship the true God, in a way of His own appointing,
or we don't worship at all. We must worship God and approach
Him in the way of His appointing, through the Lamb of God, through
the truth of God, or we don't worship at all. Is that right? John chapter 4. Listen to this. The hour cometh, now is, when
true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
In spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is spirit and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. There is no spiritual
worship apart from truth. Mark it down. The Apostle said, We are the
true Israel, which worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ
Jesus, and have no confidence in what I do, not in the flesh. You see, God looks on the heart.
So then, is my salvation based upon what God said, His truth,
His gospel, or upon the tradition of men? Oh, I thought. Cast them away. Cast your thoughts
away. They're all wrong. God needs to reprogram our thinking.
Do we worship God around the Gospel of Christ and approach
God in the Lord Jesus Christ and seek salvation upon the merits
of Christ? Or some other way? Faith comes
by hearing. Hearing by the Word of God. Not
by the tradition of men. Not by the wisdom of this world.
I want you to find Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter
2. Colossians chapter 2. You see
the religion of the Pharisee and the religion of the self-righteous
is touch not, taste not, handle not. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. Oh, if you don't touch this,
don't touch that, don't handle that, don't go here, everything
will be okay. Uh-uh, uh-uh. Washing the hand,
that's all it is. Colossians chapter 2, notice
this verse 6. Colossians 2, 6. As you have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in
Him, established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving, resting in what thus saith the Lord.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy, vain deceit,
the tradition of man after the rudiments of the world, and not
after Christ. Beware! For in him dwelleth all
the fullness of a Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him,
which is the head of all principality and power." Here's the second point. In closing,
the second point. The last point. You'll be encouraged. This is the closing point. But
there's two things under this point. The next thing we see,
the Lord does, not only He exposes their hypocrisy by the Word,
but He tells us the real problem. He tells us the real problem.
He exposes the corruption of our heart in verse 14 and verse
15 of Mark 7. And when he had called all the
people unto him, he said unto them, Harken unto me, every one
of you, and understand. He that hath ears to hear, let
him understand. There is nothing from without
a man that entering into him can't defile him. It's not what
we eat that makes us sinful, but the things which come out
of the man. They reveal the defilement and the corruption of the nature
that we're born with. The Lord reveals to us in these
verses before us that salvation must be a heart work. Salvation
is a heart work, not outward reformation, but an inward work
of God. God working upon the heart and
making us new creatures in Christ Jesus. The Pharisee religion
as it's described in Scripture is touch not, taste not. It's a religion of what we call
the religion of not. Are you going in the way of the
religion of not? Touch not, take not, handle not. Our Lord said, which all are
to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines
of men. Now, two things. We see the total depravity of
the heart. We're born with a defiled, sinful nature. Our Lord said,
from within is corruption. Verse 21, Mark 7, From within,
out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts. Evil thoughts. Now, if you're familiar with
this scripture, I won't have you turn. I can quote some of it.
Romans 3, There is none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understands.
There's none that seeks after God. We're all gone out of the
way. There is none. That's the four nones. Have you
met the four nones? None righteous, none to understand,
none that seek, there's none, no, not one before God. There's none, no one righteous,
not at all. Why do, now listen carefully,
now don't miss this. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear. Why do sinful and wicked people act the way they do? Because
of what they are. I'm a sinner based upon what
I am, not what I do. What I do is a result of what
I am. Now will you hear me? This is why the scripture is
absolutely clear, turn to Romans 8, by the deeds of the flesh,
shall no man please God. You see my friend, drugs don't
ruin people. People have ruined drugs. That's
the problem. You see, we've got it backwards. Drugs are good and useful, but
people have ruined drugs. That's the problem. It's out
of the corruption of the heart. That's why God must change the
heart. I know you say that in most places
and they gag on that. Sin's not in a box or a bottle.
Do you understand that? Sin is the nature and principle
and defilement of our corrupt heart before God. That's the
problem. We've ruined drugs. And here's
the problem, Romans 8, verse 7. Because the carnal mind, verse
7, the carnal mind, the natural mind is enmity against God. That word enmity is deep-rooted,
deep-seated hatred against God. The carnal, fleshly, fallen,
corrupt nature is at war with God. Is enmity, doesn't say is
at, it says it is enmity and not subject to the law of God.
Neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. By the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. Fallen, wicked flesh can never
satisfy a thrice holy God. A corrupt fountain can only produce
corrupt streams. A corrupt heart sends out only
corrupt reasonings. corrupt appetites, corrupt passions,
and all wicked works and actions they come from within. You know this drugstore next door
over here? You know that's a constant problem with people breaking
into that drugstore? I mean it happens all the time. Why does a man go down there
and do that? He has a corrupt nature. He has a corrupt heart. From within that corrupt nature,
evil thoughts. He's a thief because of his corrupt
heart. He doesn't steal to be corrupt. He steals because he is corrupt. See what I'm saying? Now, get
a hold of your seat. As Brother Muse used to say,
we're going to jump a creek. Get a hold now. Listen to me.
You say, well, you're talking about that honky-tonk crowd. You're talking about that wayward
crowd. You're talking about those bad folks. I'm talking about
you. I'm talking about me. I'm talking
about what we are before God. You say, well, I don't have a
nature like that. Okay. Then listen to this. First John 1.8, if we say we
have no sin nature, we deceive ourselves and the truth's not
in us. Say, I'd never break into that
drugstore. I'd never rob that place down there. I don't have
that potential. You're a fool. You're wicked. We have that wickedness in our
nature. Men do what they do wickedly
because of what they are. Do you understand me? Do you
have ears to hear? Our primary problem is not what
goes into our belly. Now we might get overweight.
Scriptures does teach temperance. The problem is not what goes
into our belly. That goes out to the Johnny house.
That goes out to the commode. The problem is what flows out
of our polluted heart. And I mean by that the mind,
the will, the affection, the thoughts of the heart before
God. That's why reformation and hand
washing won't cut it. It won't meet God's standard.
You can dip and dip and wash and wash, Join and join and join
and quit this and quit that and quit that. You still have a polluted,
rotten nature. What must happen? Regeneration. The new birth. God must do a work in the heart.
Reformation is not what we need. Morality is not what we need.
I'm all for morality, but I'm not for morality that brings
salvation. That's salvation by works. God's
people are moral because they've been changed from within and
it changes the outside. What we need is Holy Spirit regeneration. What we need is Holy Spirit conviction. We don't need any more decisions
for Jesus. We don't need any more of these outward fleshly things.
What we need is Holy Spirit regeneration. It's the work of God on the heart.
What we need is Holy Spirit conversion. What we need is God Almighty
quickening our dead heart and giving us life in Christ Jesus.
Will you hear me? No wonder he says in verse 18
to his disciples, Are you so without understanding also? You
don't understand these things either? Talking to his own disciples. Reformation is not what we need,
my friend. It's regeneration. It's Holy Spirit conviction.
It's Holy Spirit conversion. It's life from the dead. You
have to be quick in who we're dead. I'll clean up your life. That might help you in society.
But in the courts of God's justice, guilt. before God, guilty as
charged. You must have someone to put
away your sin and that someone is the Lord Jesus Christ. This
is the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. Remember what the Lord said in
Matthew 23? Cleanse first that within and
the outside it will clean up. God by His almighty power must
take away this stony heart of rebellion and give us a broken
heart over sin. God almighty must subdue that
will, that stubborn will, and make us willing in a day of God's
power. If He doesn't, I'll perish in my sin. You see, it's not
reformation I need. It's life from the dead. It's
regeneration. God almighty must subdue that
stony heart. and break it by His power. God
Almighty must subdue that stubborn will and make us willing to bow
to His sovereign throne before His sovereign grace. He said,
Thy people shall be willing in the day of His power. God Almighty,
the Sovereign Lord, must change our thoughts about self and about
Him. Our thoughts about self are too
high. Our thoughts about Him are too
low. He must change that. We must think high thoughts of
Him and low thoughts of self. The Lord must first give us a
love for Him. The Lord must give us a love
for Him and cause us to set our affection on things above. Men
by nature love darkness, not the light. Paul wrote this in Colossians,
If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection
on things above, not on the things of this earth. For you are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ. Now listen to me. When our Lord
is pleased to change us by His power, and His purpose, and His
grace, and give us that new spiritual nature that is implanted within
the believer in regeneration, It will control our conduct in
our life in a way that's pleasing unto Him. You see, the love of
God constrains us. Constrains us. Our Lord said
this, if you love Me, obey Me, submit to Me. The love of Christ
constrains us. Believers are motivated by love.
Now, I want you to turn and see this for yourself. Matthew 15. I want you to see this for yourself. Now we don't have this in Mark
chapter 7, but there in Matthew 15 where it is recorded what
happened the same instant, the same occasion is given to us.
And listen to what is said here in Matthew 15 in verse 12. Verse 11 said, Not that which
goeth into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out
of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then came the disciples and said
unto him, You know what? He said, knowest thou that the
Pharisees were offended after they heard these sayings? Oh,
the religious crowd got upset. It exposed their self-righteousness
for what it is. And he answered and said to them,
every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted is going
to be rooted out. Rooted out. He said, leave them
alone. They'd be blind leaders of the
blind, and if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the
ditch. So our business is to keep preaching
and teaching the Word. Keep preaching and teaching the
Word.